


You End, I Begin

by joyrides



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Addiction, Blood and Gore, M/M, Murder, Vacation, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-12
Updated: 2016-06-30
Packaged: 2018-06-07 21:34:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6825256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/joyrides/pseuds/joyrides
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Where you end, I begin.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Flesh Will Be Flesh

People have many addictions. Sex. Love. Food. Drugs, or alcohol. Money. Power. Our addictions are what will destroy us and our lives. To be an addict is more than to desire, it is to need. I had no addictions, and I don’t believe I ever will. But I’ve experienced the product of addiction based insanity. I’ve seen what addiction does to people. It’s definitely not pretty. It’s not pretty at all. I can vouch for this. 

;

I remember arriving on the island clearly. It was May, and my mother had gotten a promotion from her job, and an offer to meet with the CEO of the company she worked with at a banquet on his private island. I still lived with her, even though I was nineteen and old enough to live on my own. Ever since my dad died, I had not dared to leave her side. We were closer than anything. My mother was my best friend, and I wasn’t ashamed of the fact at all. 

She, of course, wanted me to come along. I had no problem with going. Who wouldn’t want a weekend long vacation on a gorgeous island, free of charge? A week later, we were in our hotel room, deciding what to wear to the dinner. 

“You know how important this is to me, Josh. You have to help me!” 

“Mom, I’m a dude, how am I supposed to know what you should and shouldn’t wear to something like this?” 

I was only met with a frustrated groan from her as she went into the bathroom of our hotel room to continue fixing her hair. I went back to adjusting the buttons on my shirt- button up shirts are nice, right? I knew for sure that no matter what I was going to feel incredibly out of place, so I wasn’t going to spend too much time fretting over what I was going to wear. 

The window of our hotel room overlooked beaches of crystal sands and the bluest waters I’ve ever seen. Being from Ohio, I didn’t get to see oceans all that often. Visiting a tropical island in the middle of the pacific was a nice change of scenery from the gloomy overcast that always seemed to be hanging over the city of Columbus. Soon enough, my mother was pulling me out of a cab and into a building that I originally thought to be some kind of fancy business building or something. 

It was the CEO’s fucking house. 

It was massive, to say the very least. A mansion, probably six hundred times the size of the small apartment my mom and I shared. I shook off how intimidated I was by the place. People were already pouring into the mansion, dressed in expensive looking dresses and suits. Their lips spoke words of fabricated genuineness. Their eyes were wide with unrealistic happiness. I already despised these kinds of people, and experiencing their facades in person was even more exhausting to deal with. 

Inside of the doors was a lobby type of deal, with two grand staircases on either side. The walls were decorated with fine paintings, and the floors were made of marble. I didn’t know what to do with myself, other than take my mother’s arm in escort in an attempt to look like I knew what the hell I was doing. My mother led us both towards a man who I assumed was the CEO himself. He was smiling, shaking people’s hands, greeting his employers as if he actually cared for each of them. A boy in a dark suit was next to him, chatting up a middle aged woman. I pretty much cringed when the CEO’s eyes met my mom’s. 

“Laura Dun! It is so lovely to finally meet you.”

“It’s lovely to meet you too, Mr. Joseph. This place is absolutely breathtaking.”

“Oh please, call me Chris. This is your son, no?” He gestured to me.

“Oh yes, this is my son Joshua,” my mom answered, and I shook the man’s hand. “Joshua, this is the CEO of the company, Chris Joseph.”

The boy standing next to him, who, by the way, looked like he couldn’t possibly be out of highschool, reached out his hand towards me. He tilted his head ever so slightly, and examined me closely. The boy made me incredibly unsettled for an unknown reason, and I examined him back to try to figure out why exactly. His hand was freezing cold, as the sudden lack of heat nearly made me jump. I shook his hand nonetheless. 

“I’m Tyler Joseph,” the boy, Tyler, spoke. “Nice to meet you, Joshua.” Something about Tyler’s voice captivated me for the few seconds he was speaking. His eyes as well, they were different from the rest of the people here. Tyler only gave me a few seconds to look into them, as the broke the glare we were sharing and went back to his father’s side. 

My mother and I continued to linger around the mansion, her chatting with fellow employees and me trying to look interested. Eventually, I managed to escape while my mother was tasting foreign biscuits. A door led me out into a yard that overlooked the ocean. The moon was full and shining down on the waves of the water. It was late into the night, and the air was chillier than expected for a tropical island. It wasn’t until this moment, but I realized that I was really tired. A tree in the center of the garden caught my eye as a good place to nap. I scoped it, climbed it, and got myself just about as comfortable as a tree branch can get. I was peacefully dozing in and out of consciousness until I heard a startling thump from the ground below me. Peeking down after jumping about a mile high, I was met with a familiar face kicking something out of my view. 

“Joshua Dun? Fancy meeting you here.”

I blinked and nodded at Tyler. “And you.”

“Have I disrupted a ocean side cat nap? I would have expected you to be with your mother still, sipping wine and enjoying our expensive delicacies.”

I sat up straighter, giving a small shrug. “I was tired.” Tyler gave me an interested look. 

“What are you even doing out here? It’s like,” I pulled my phone from my pocket. “Three in the morning.”

“I like to get some fresh air,” Tyler replied, twisting strands of his hair between his fingers. He looked rather anxious. “Even I don’t like being in there.”

“The party’s still going on?”

“Oh yeah. What about you? Why are you here?”

I shrugged my shoulders lazily. “Same, I suppose.”

Tyler hummed in response, and began to crack the bones of his fingers. I let the silence reign supreme, as I found the sound of the ocean waves relaxing. 

“Um,” Tyler began, looking at the ground below. “Do you want to come back to my room? We could play GTA or something. You don't have to if you don't want to, I just… You seem kind of bored.” 

I gave Tyler a small, reassuring smile. “Yeah man. That would be pretty cool, actually. I can only imagine how huge your room is.” 

Tyler snickered at that. “Beauty of your dad being so damn rich. Although I wish it wasn't my duty to uphold the Joseph legacy. I had other plans for my life.” 

“Like what?” 

“Music,” Tyler mumbled, suddenly less cocky than he had been a few seconds before. “That dream was crushed when I hit my tenth birthday. When my dad raved about me following in his footsteps or whatever. Business is not my cup of tea, or rather, it's not my cup of expensive coffee imported from Africa.” 

“Hmm. Music.” I pondered that. “You don’t seem like the kind of guy, but alright then.”

Tyler gave a weak smile and waved me down. I let myself fall from the tree and followed him back into the mansion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hiiiii... this is an idea i got when i heard about a (supposedly terrible) movie. i wont say what movie until later but if u seenit or u know of it , u can probably figure it out . 
> 
> some general warnings for this fic: there will be a lot of violence, death, murder, blood/gore along with mentions of addiction. i'll add specific warnings at the beginning of each chapter, but im srs when i say theres a LOT of death and stuff. 
> 
> also i hooopeee it doesnt feel like its moving too fast.. . .. hmm.... .


	2. Head So Loud

I was right, his room was huge. It was lavish, as many other things in his household was. Tyler’s room was very organized. A massive bed with a perfectly fitted white comforter sat at one end of the room. One wall held a massive flat screen T.V. An expensive looking keyboard placed in front of a tall window with flowing curtains caught my eye. Music. 

“Here it is,” Tyler said, closing the door behind him. “My haven. It’s not much, really.” His eyes shifted away from me for a second, his lips shifting from the smirk he had been wearing before to something much more somber. 

“Easy for you to say. I’m pretty sure this room is bigger than my entire apartment.”

Tyler scoffed at that, probably thinking I was joking. 

“So,” Tyler began, pulling two beanbags from a closet and setting them in front of the wall with the flat screen. He flipped the channel to some news channel, and I knew exactly where this was going. Small talk. He cleared his throat before continuing. “You live alone?”

“With my mom,” I replied. “We’re pretty close.”

“Oh? I don’t really know my mom that well. All I know is that she is anything but loyal to my father. I can’t say I’m fond of her.”

“Oh.” I didn’t know how to respond to that. I hadn’t expected him to get so personal so soon. I occupied my mind by turning my eyes to the television, which was now showcasing a commercial for some beauty product. I let the silence envelop the both of us. Tyler seemed okay with it, and so was I. 

“It’s alright though,” Tyler went on, almost giggling. “My family is no family. I was raised by the maids. They’re much nicer, anyhow.”  
“That’s not right, though.” I realized how rude that sounded. “Uhm, well like… Your parents should at least get to know you. Family is impor--” 

“Family isn’t blood. Family is connection. Family is genuine love. No bloodline could possibly get me to love the ones who want the best for themselves, and use me to achieve that. Blood means nothing.”

I stayed silent as I watched Tyler bite his lip and stare straight forward. I could tell the boy was holding back tears, and I felt for him. I knew that I could never understand him. We were two different people, completely. But this drew me towards him. 

“I’m sorry. You’re actually pretty right. I’m sorry.”

Tyler stayed silent, and I let him for a bit. He seemed like he needed it. 

“You know, you’re getting pretty personal for just meeting me a few hours ago.”

Tyler smirked, seeming amused by that. “You’re nineteen, right?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m eighteen.” Tyler let out a small sigh. “I don’t get to meet people my age that often. Only business dudes who only care about my father’s money.”

“Hm. The only guys my age I hang out with are like, co workers. I don’t really have many friends to be honest.” I was being honest. None of my friends from high school talked to me anymore. I usually spent my days either working at Guitar Center, and if not that, I was helping my mom in any way I could- grocery shopping, cleaning the house, whatever I could do. 

“Maybe we aren’t so different. Or maybe we are.” Tyler leaned back into his bean bag a bit, crossing his arms. “People aren’t that different when you think about it. Celebrities are nothing to have a cow over. Look at Beyonce.” He gestured forward, at nothing in particular. “She’s amazing, but I don’t believe for a second she’s as perfect as she sets herself up to be. I don’t trust perfect people. I wouldn’t trust a song that’s flawless.” 

“I never really thought about that,” I replied in honesty. “You seem like you know a lot of… stuff.”

“I only know what I’ve been taught, whether it’s been taught to me or I taught myself.” Tyler leaned forward again, resting his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands. I found myself observing him, the way his lips curved, the way his eyes moved, the way his skin looked under the lights. Ugh, he was kind of beautiful. A beautiful boy in a beautiful house on a beautiful island. A beautiful boy with beautiful eyes and beautiful words.

“But alas, ég vakna draumi úr, ég sé ekki út,” Tyler spoke, snapping me out of the daze I was in. 

“What?”

“A thought.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket and sighed. “It’s getting late. You leave Monday morning, no?”

“Yeah, at like, nine or something.” 

“Would you-” Tyler stopped himself and thought for a moment. “You should come to the lounge downtown, I’ll be there tomorrow night. Let me see your phone.”

I gave him a look and reluctantly pulled my phone out my pocket and handed it to him. He gave me a look back.

“No, like… put your passcode in.”

I snatched it back from his hand, despising the giggles from him as I embarrassingly entered my passcode and handed it back to him. I watched intently as he speedily put his number and name in as a contact. He also sent himself a simple, “hey”. So he had my number as well. A very sly way to get my number, I was impressed. 

“Why should I go again?”

“I’ll be there,” he said again, and stood up. I followed suit. “Promise you’ll come? I swear you’ll love it. There’s very nice drinks there…”

“We’re both too young to drink,” I deadpanned. No way I was gonna let this guy lure me into getting drunk with him. 

“Law doesn’t apply here. Not when your dad owns everything on this body of land.” 

I sighed. I figured I’d go, but if he tried to pull anything, I’d be out. “I’ll be there. What time?”

“Nine PM, sharp. Take this with and show it to whoever is at the door.” Tyler took a card out of his pocket and handed in to me. On it was nothing more than a signature, his signature. “So, is this a deal? You’ll be there?”

I took his hand and shook it, “Yeah man. It’s a deal.”

..;;...;

I was dark. The best way I could describe the feeling this place gave off was drowsy. It felt tired, the entire mood of the place. The walls I were dark, and every seat in the place was made of velvet. Expensive looking people sat with their legs crossed, glasses of red wine in their hands. Tyler had given me absolutely no direction as to where to find him, so I texted him a few times, asking where he was. 

He left me on read, the asshole. 

Pissed, off I found a seat towards the back of the room, a bench made of velvet, of course. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling above. Every voice in the room hushed as the lights got even more dim than they already had been, and music began. It started off slow and somber, kind of haunting before the song transformed into something fast-paced, lyrically. The mood of the room shifted completely as I watched bodies collide with one another and hands become restless. I was more than confused, watching this unfold as I tried to decipher the lyrics from the music playing. 

Better...are lost... of the… giving birth to... 

My head was becoming more and more hazy every second that passed. A scent I didn’t believe I had ever encountered before then surrounded me. It was not pleasant, nor was it unpleasant. I felt a hand on my shoulder just as my eyes became heavy. 

“Damn, it’s getting to you that quickly? You’re easy, Joshua,” a voice spoke into my ear lowly. 

I close my eyes and tried to concentrate on what I was feeling physically. The hand moved from my shoulder to the side of my face. It was gentle, soft. It felt safe. I relaxed under the touch willingly, and did not stop it as it moved to the nape of my neck. 

Putting… my tongue… savor it...

I felt lips close to mine, and for a moment I thought that they would make contact with mine. 

“I can’t do this,” the same voice said, quietly into my ear once more. “I need to get you out of here.”

My body was being moved up by the source of the touch. I could hardly concentrate on anything, but I soon heard a second voice. Then the sound of a car door slamming. Then it opened, and I was being practically carried somewhere. I soon felt something soft underneath me, and then the sweet sound of comforting quietness. 

..,;,;.',.;

I woke up in a hotel room that was not mine. It was much bigger than the one that my mother and I had been sharing. It was still nighttime, and my body felt incredibly warm. Warmer than usual. I absentmindedly traced my fingers along the sheets of the bed as I tried to recall any details of how I ended up here. I couldn’t find that there were any memories lingering inside of my mind, so I decided to go for a walk. 

Walks were common for me. They were my therapy, especially late night ones. For me, a walk was a way to ease anxiety, to feel better. What could possibly so wrong on a peaceful, late night stroll? 

Seeing Tyler Joseph twisting a knife into the gut of a woman barely into her twenties in the slight protection of a few trees in a park wasn't exactly something I had even come close to considering.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ha ha helloo. sorry this took so long 2 get to uuu i was in california for a hot minute doing california things bc i am a california kid born and raised in california who likes 2 visit california. yeaah  
> i feel like the end of this is so bleggh bc its jumping right into the story very quick and idk how i like that but a LOT more i going to happen. i was brainstorming last night and uhh yall better get ready lmao  
> i imagined this chapter having the song phantasmagoria by icky blossoms (they r a band local to my city PLEASE check them out) getting increasingly louder as u continued to read.   
> more 2 come  
> p.s. let me know of any typos or pretend like u didnt see them for me either works! i barely edit these expect mistakes


	3. Bleed Me Out

My hands were shaking. My entire body was shaking. I stood in shock for a mere ten seconds before turning and walking away from the scene as soon as I could. The air felt a lot colder than it had when I had first left the hotel. 

I made my way back to my own hotel room to find my mom peacefully asleep on her bed. She was sleeping on top of all of her blankets. Her makeup was slightly smeared, her eyeliner fading into the earthy colored backdrop of her eye shadow. The room was colder than it had been before. Much, much colder. 

I crawled into my bed and buried myself under the warmth of the blankets. Even so, I continued to shiver. Questions swam in the waters of my conscience. I thought to myself, “Maybe I was just imagining things. Maybe I smoked something and I don’t remember. Maybe I’m dreaming.” Nothing seemed to make sense to me, it felt like nothing could explain why the hell Tyler Joseph would stab somebody. 

Was there a good reason? Most likely not. But I wanted there to be one. 

My mind continued, but my body had no will to. I let myself drift off to sleep, surprised that I could possibly do so after witnessing a murder. But I did, shivering because of the cold air, much colder than it had been before. Much colder than it had been before. 

Morning came too soon. As soon as I woke up, I wished I could fall back asleep. I wished that the moon had never gone down and that I could sleep for the rest of my existence. Turning my head, I saw my mom hurriedly brushing her hair in front of the mirror. 

“I’m going out to brunch with a couple of friends I met last night, is that okay?”

Her voice sounded distant, but it was audible nonetheless. 

“Yeah,” I replied, my voice hoarse. “Yeah, I think I’m going to go for a walk.”

I swear I didn’t mean to end up at the park. I kept my distance and simply stared at the spot where I had sworn I saw Tyler last night. There was no trace of any violence, no trace of blood, no evidence to prove what I had seen was true. It was nagging me, though. I couldn’t leave the question of “did it really happen?” unanswered. 

Before I knew what I was doing, Tyler’s voice was in my ear. 

“Josh?”

“Tyler,” I pretty much breathed out. It came out shaky, but I tried to keep emotion down. “Tyler, where are you right now?”

“I’m, uh…” He took a moment to think. “I”m in the garden of the mansion. Why?” 

He sounded too nervous. 

“Can I meet you there? I wanna ask you something.”

“...You can’t ask me right now? Over the phone?”

“No. In person.”

“Um.” Another pause. “Okay. I’ll be here, waiting. I’ll tell security you’re coming.”

I hung up, feeling bitter to the core. Never before in my life had I been more cold towards somebody in the way I was with Tyler in that moment. Pocketing my phone, I started to walk to the mansion. The town on the island wasn’t that big, so I easily remembered where it was. It was dangerously close to the park, too… it seemed too close for Tyler to consider committing a murder there. 

I arrived at the gates in a little less than fifteen minutes. The security guards let me in without a single word, which I found rather odd. The mansion had sidewalks that wrapped all around the building, leading to different areas around it. It didn’t take me long to find the garden, which was located behind the mansion’s main building, a little bit to the left. I’m pretty sure that the garden contained just about every flower known to man. It was flourishing with sickeningly sweet scents that was almost overwhelming. 

Tyler saw me first. When my eyes landed on him, he was already looking at me, sitting on the ledge in front of a bush of roses. If he was nervous at all, he didn’t look it in the slightest. 

“Joshua,” he spoke first, using the same sly tone he had when I had first met him only a day ago. “What questioned needed an answer so urgently? I’m honestly dying to find out.”

I gave myself a moment to think of what exactly I wanted to say. I had to be careful. “What exactly happened last night?”

His facial expression softened. “Oh, well, you got a bit tipsy and I had someone escort you to your hotel.”

“Why not my own room?”

He hesitated. “I wasn’t sure which room you were staying in.”

“Yeah, but- but couldn’t you have like, found out or… something.”

“Not that easy. Is… is everything okay? Did something happen?”

I eyed him carefully before stepping close to him. I considered for a second sitting next to him, but being taller than him made me feel safer. 

“Where’d you go after… after whatever happened at the lounge happened?”

“Back here, where else?” Tyler answered quickly. “I considered staying with you, but you were in no state to give proper consent to do anything.”

For some reason, that sentence seemed funny to me. 

“Besides, there’s not much to do on this island when you’ve lived here for as long as I have. Even the beaches-”

“The park,” I interrupted before I could stop myself. “The park, Tyler, the fucking park.”

“...Park?”

My hands seemed to act on their own accord, pulling Tyler up to my level by his shirt. His face was only a mere few inches away from mine. 

“Please, Tyler, tell me I’m crazy or something.”

He continued to look at me with a look of fabricated confusion. 

“I seriously don’t know what you’re saying about the park… What, did you see something you shouldn’t have?”

I tightened my grip on him. He was kidding, right? Did he think that this was funny or something?

“I don’t know, was there something going on that I wasn’t supposed to see?”

Tyler turned his head slightly and squinted at me. I could feel that he was trying so, so hard not to seem nervous at all. But I know better. Tyler was nervous as hell, and I could only find any notion of that in his eyes. 

“You know,” Tyler began. “I would be careful if I were you. Whatever you may or may not have seen could have more to it that you think.”

“What else could a fucking murder have to it?” 

I should’ve really let myself think before saying that, because almost immediately after those words came out of my mouth, my jaw was met with a fist. It was something out of a movie- so dramatic that I fell to the concrete below me. The punch was momentarily blinding, and it gave Tyler just enough control to pull me back up and put me into a headlock. I guess me saying that was proof enough for Tyler that I was a threat. 

“Listen man, I really don’t want to hurt you,” Tyler whispered into my ear, his voice much more serious than I had heard before. “That’s why I let you go last night, I had my eye on you but you were too pretty to ruin.”

He started to pull me towards a back door to the mansion, his grip tightening with every step. His words began to dawn on me. Last night, he was planning on killing me instead. 

“But if you seriously can’t keep your mouth shut, we’re going to have a problem.”

I was shoved through the door and met with two things: pitch blackness and a kick to my chest that knocked me to the ground in seconds. I could barely even comprehend what was happening. 

“I care about you,” Tyler’s voice spoke quietly as soon as the door closed behind him. “I really do. I care about your sad, sad life. But you can’t mess with things you don’t understand.”

“So, what then?” I choke out. “What don’t I understand?”

“Do you want to understand?”

I guess he took the silence as an answer that said “yes”. The light of the room switched on. At first I had thought that the room was empty, but I was wrong. 

“I hate the color red, Joshua. I hate it so much. I hate myself, I hate how I am, but I was born like this and I don’t know why. I don’t know why.”

Jars. He took one into his hands and caressed it as if it were a precious gem. 

“The taste of my own used to be enough for me, but the taste of other people’s was overwhelming. In the good way. I liked it, it was weirdly comforting. My parents knew it was gonna happen.”

“You’re a fucking vampire,” I breathed out. 

“No." Tyler shook his head with a look on his face as if that was the most profoundly obscure thing he had ever heard. "No, I'm not a vampire."

“Then what? What are you?”

Tyler’s hands were shaking as he set the jar back onto one of the many shelves in the room. 

“I guess,” he started before taking a very, very deep breath. He closed his eyes tightly. “I’m an addict.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (with a pen)
> 
> hi as u can tell these updates take way too long bc i write long ass chapters (this one took up a little over 5 pages on docs bye) ill try to either write faster or chop them up a bit sorry. i feel like i should say this too but-- im writing this from chapter to chapter, so like i seriously don't even know whats gonna happen in the next chap (probably not a great idea but whatever??) so some things might not make sense and i'll probably go back n fix em. ok gotta go see ya thanks for reading love u dearly
> 
> also this is SO stupidly dramatic so far but let me live im bored n i have nothing better to do

**Author's Note:**

> hiiiii... this is an idea i got when i heard about a (supposedly terrible) movie. i wont say what movie until later but if u seenit or u know of it , u can probably figure it out . 
> 
> some general warnings for this fic: there will be a lot of violence, death, murder, blood/gore along with mentions of addiction. i'll add specific warnings at the beginning of each chapter, but im srs when i say theres a LOT of death and stuff. 
> 
> also i hooopeee it doesnt feel like its moving too fast.. . .. hmm.... .
> 
> see u l8er


End file.
